Coronavirus - Health and preparedness aspects - II

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Sunset said:
My plan for disinfecting surfaces is my long time friend bleach.

For my skin, soap & water, and we have couple of bottles of hydrogen peroxide which is great for cuts, and safe to use on skin.
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We had a "78% isopropyl alcohol for 60 seconds" report, above, to disable the virus. Do we have any data on hydrogen peroxide (concentration and contact time) to disable the virus?
 
brewer12345 said:
You want at least two weeks of shelf stable/frozen food that is hopefully the things you would normally eat. Same for your pets. Any medication you use (whether OTC or prescription) would be a good idea to stock up on. It might not be a bad idea to have on hand any cold/flu medication you would normally take. A box of disposable rubber gloves would be a good idea, as would sufficient stores of anything else you routinely use (toiletries, paper towels, TP, cleaning products, booze, etc.). Hand sanitizer isn't a bad idea although it is unclear how effective it is on the WuFlu. If you can find Hibiclens locally or on line it definitely will kill pretty much anything.

If this is all stuff you will buy/use anyway, I would go ahead and get a month's worth. The cost is trivial for most board members and, like I said, you will use it anyway.

It doesn't matter whether or not masks work because they are pretty much unobtanium at this point.
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Great post - I have all of these. Note that Hibiclens can be found in the local drug store (surgical prep cleaning) and also available in generic/house brands.

I also picked up a couple bottles of Electrolytes today. Fever can cause dehydration.

+1 on the WuFlu name.
 
sengsational said:
We had a "78% isopropyl alcohol for 60 seconds" report, above, to disable the virus. Do we have any data on hydrogen peroxide (concentration and contact time) to disable the virus?
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Not sure on hydrogen peroxide by itself, but in combination with 5% vinegar it can be a powerful cleaner. Important Note: These are kept in two separate spray bottles, as when combined they create peracetic acid which is corrosive.

So, have two spray bottles - one with 5% vinegar (the kind you find in the grocery store) and one with 3% hydrogen peroxide (again the kind you normally find in the drug store). Spray the surface with one, then the other (order doesn't matter). Let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe dry with cloth. Rinse is optional.

Some more home made cleaners: https://www.onecrazyhouse.com/hydrogen-peroxide-cleaning-recipes-to-clean-almost-everything/
 
Sunset said:
From the chart:

Hydrogen peroxide 0.5% HCoVStrain 229E 1 min
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That's up there in effectiveness with "white lightnin'" (95% ethanol).

The 70% alcohol is 10 minutes! So using 60% hand sanitizer seems like a false sense of security to me.

Found this paper, which has a nice chart of exposure times for various agents:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195670120300463

But digging deeper, I've discovered that the "Hydrogen peroxide 0.5%" that they tested was really something called "Accel TB" [a 0.5% accelerated H2O2 (AHP)-based disinfectant], so it's got more in it than hydrogen peroxide [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0196655305005754].
 
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sengsational said:
That's up there in effectiveness with "white lightnin'" (95% ethanol).

The 70% alcohol is 10 minutes! So using 60% hand sanitizer seems like a false sense of security to me.
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Yep. Just hit your friendly neighborhood liquor store for a bottle of Everclear grain alcohol (95%).

I find it interesting that Ohio liquor stores aren't allowed to carry Everclear, while the adjoining states are. :facepalm:
 
Another aspect of coronavirus preparedness: If you are a video gamer, and planning to buy a new console, you might want to check and see if shortages of that console are predicted.

Nintendo is predicting a shortage of their Switch console, starting in April. This is because even though the console is assembled in Vietnam, the parts are manufactured in China. I was going to buy another one, probably in April, but bought it this week instead. Received it yesterday, and it is lovely. :)

Rumor has it that other major brands of video gaming consoles will experience shortages as well. This could be an unhappy situation for video gamers who might find that their preferred form of escapism is hard to find. Also,
Reports have also claimed that Coronavirus-related supply problems are expected to plague the laptop, smartphone and RAM markets.
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DW noticed that most of the people in the waiting room of our local urgent care center were wearing masks. That was not previously the case. Makes good sense to me regardless whether Coronavirus spreads here.
 
Today we were picking up a prescription refill at Sams Pharmacy and noticed the sign advertising all of the vaccines they offer. Of course, we’ve both had the flu shot and got the shingles vaccine crossed off the list- but this time I noticed the Pneumonia Vaccine PV. I asked the pharmacist if she thought that would be helpful in case we were exposed to Coronavirus, she said yes so we both got the shot plus my DH picked up a tetanus shot since he couldn’t recall when his last one was.
Time will tell if the PV is helpful!?!
 
We were also in Costco today. I was curious about how their bulk pricing on beans and rice compared to the small packages at our typical grocery store. The 25 pound bag of beans was something like $0.79 per pound. The same beans in the grocery store were $0.99 per pound. I expected there to be a larger difference. Then I looked at the canned beans. Costco- $0.79 per can. Local grocery store- normally $0.79 but on sale for $0.59. These are 15.5 oz cans. So $/pound is about the same as dry beans, but of course you are buying some water. My take away is- it would be much easier to just open a can then to portion out and prepare dry beans. Also, a couple cases of beans can be donated to the food pantry before their expiration date, if we don't eat them up.

Plenty of food, plenty of TP, not really all that busy today.

I also swapped messages with a former work college. He has been in China for the past 18 years +/-. (VP of Operations, Fortune 500) He (and his family) are indefinitely relocated to Seattle. Working very remote.
 
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TP Preparedness

I wonder if the non ER.org crowd is as worried about low TP inventory as we seem to be here. I bought https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0743P2KDJ (bidet) and find it's really "the way to go" :)

So if Sam's runs out of TP, there's still plenty of these available, hehe!
 
So hopefully this won’t seem too over the top to most people.....

  1. Of most interest probably this is a very common sense list of items to get / think about from a virologist in Australia: https://virologydownunder.com/so-you-think-youve-about-to-be-in-a-pandemic/
  2. I’d reiterate, fill your prescriptions too even if Covid doesn’t run rampant in the U.S. since so many ingredients come from elsewhere anyway. Plus it is good to have extra in case you take a long trip. ;)
  3. This is an excellent opportunity to review your own emergency plans for whatever ails your neck of the woods (snow storms, earth quakes, tornadoes, hazard spills on the interstate, etc.). Don’t have one? Utah has a great site for preparedness for citizens, most states have something. CDC has suggestions. I’d extend the often suggested 3 days of food out to a week or two though.
  4. Note: Water bottles you get from the store last decades despite the date printed on them. There isn’t a need to buy special water. As long as you keep it in a cool place that doesn’t freeze, store purchased water bottles (think Dasani or Aquafina, or better 3 or 5 gallon purified containers) buy once and forget about it. Don’t go buying blue water that is $40 for a 12 pack.
  5. In case you don’t have water on hand and have water supply issues (pipes burst to your house in the winter and the snowstorm has road blocked for 3 days) get a Sawyer squeeze off of Amazon or your favorite camping store
  6. No need to buy fancy survival food, just have what you eat regularly but more of it. Check the list at the link above. If you want fancy, just get something like Mountain House freeze dried packets that campers use.
  7. Don’t panic, don’t horde. ;)
 
Gumby said:
More than you ever wanted to know about various disinfectants

https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/disinfection/disinfection-methods/chemical.html
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The word "corona" does not appear in that document... Do coronavirri fall into any of the categories/types of virii mentioned?

The "60%-80%" stated is vague -- the paper I cited gives more detail.

Alcohol seems the only practical thing to use when out & about, usable without rinsing off. In your home you don't need to wash at all. Just decon before you enter...
 
Bongleur said:
Alcohol seems the only practical thing to use when out & about, usable without rinsing off. In your home you don't need to wash at all. Just decon before you enter...
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70% isopropyl alcohol or 0.05% hydrogen peroxide looks good too. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195670120300463

I was thinking of making my own wipes for the cars. Just a wad of paper towels in a zip lock bag. Pour in peroxide or alcohol. Then, even before you get in the car, wipe off your hands and anything you're carrying. Then once in the house, normal soap and water hand wash. But at least as important is keeping your hands away from your face at all times.
 
Bongleur said:
The word "corona" does not appear in that document... Do coronavirri fall into any of the categories/types of virii mentioned?

The "60%-80%" stated is vague -- the paper I cited gives more detail.

Alcohol seems the only practical thing to use when out & about, usable without rinsing off. In your home you don't need to wash at all. Just decon before you enter...
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It is my understanding that a coronavirus is a lipid virus - the most easily killed. See Table 1.

Also see here https://www.factcheck.org/2020/01/no-clorox-and-lysol-didnt-already-know-about-new-coronavirus/
 
During flu season, I have a bottle of hand sanitizer in my car for when I am out and about. At home, I wash my hands thoroughly and regularly with soap and warm water (first thing I do when I get back home).

Keeping my hands away from my face is a real challenge, I find, and I have to be intentional about it.

I see it rarely mentioned, but one’s cellphone is a petri dish in the best of times. So if I use my phone while outside, I clean it with an alcohol wipe when I get back home.
 
Gumby said:
This is the thread to discuss the health and preparedness aspects of the coronavirus COVID-19. There are two other threads - one for the financial impacts of the coronavirus and one for the impact on travel. Please choose the appropriate thread for your comments and do not repeat the same post in multiple threads (see the Community Rules regarding multi-posting).

This is a undoubtedly a situation of concern to many, but it behooves us all to post in a sober and responsible manner. Factual information, with appropriate support/reference, is best. Reasonable and concrete suggestions for action are also appropriate. However, fear mongering and the promotion of rumors is not. As a general rule, before you post, ask yourself "Am I confident this is true?" and "Will this be useful to others or am I just venting?" The "hot topic" designation is turned on to give everyone a pause in which they can answer those questions.

Thank you,

The Moderator Team
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This link is to a 1.5 hour press conference by a World Health Organization specialist sent to China to survey their progress. It was done a couple days ago.

https://youtu.be/p36jfKtVmG8

Key points are from minutes 5-10 or so and minute 29. Instead of watching commercial news clickbait, take some time and review this. This is a primary source by a qualified person.

Bottom line:
- Virus is new as of January (not in population before that, according to China checks.
- China is doing very well in containment measures.
- Cases have begun declining and with quick and alert intervention the virus can be contained.
- People need to take precautions like keeping a distance, washing hands etc. that you should with flu.
- Medical professionals need to seek out cases quickly to prevent population spreads.
 
The FDA just announced the shortage of one drug. They did not name the drug, else there would be a drug run.

I don't know what one can do about this. There will be more news like this to come. It is said that 90% of the APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredient) used by US companies come from China.
 
sengsational said:
I wonder if the non ER.org crowd is as worried about low TP inventory as we seem to be here. I bought https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0743P2KDJ (bidet) and find it's really "the way to go" :)

So if Sam's runs out of TP, there's still plenty of these available, hehe!
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Grabbing a $40 washlet seat off Amazon would be better for your bum and avoid having to stock upon on so much TP.
 
donheff said:
DW noticed that most of the people in the waiting room of our local urgent care center were wearing masks. That was not previously the case. Makes good sense to me regardless whether Coronavirus spreads here.
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Agreed. About a month ago I went to the doctor with flu symptoms (yes, it turned out to be the flu). When I checked in the first thing they did was hand me a mask. So they were being proactive from the start at trying to minimize the spread of the flu. I would hope that most facilities are doing this now, especially in light of the coronavirus scare.
 
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